Think of all the joy you’ll find …….. Update - January 06

[dizneeat]

7

Day 8, August 23

Goodbye Vernazza, hello Florence - Part 1

It was time to say goodbye to Vernazza.
So in the morning we both walked to the bakery

and picked up some

bread, a

Pesto Tart and a

chocolate puff pastry. Once we were back we had a leisurely breakfast,

then cleaned up the kitchen and packed up the rest of our stuff. We still had some time left, so we decided to take one last stroll through Vernazza. We left our apartment,

walked down to the railway station and stopped at the huge poster that was hung there and showed Vernazza after a giant mud slide some years ago.

Quite some time was spent looking at the poster before we moved on,

past the bakery and some souvenir shops and soon we had reached the harbour.

We walked around a bit and took in the views, but all too soon we had to turn around and walk back to our apartment.

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

7

Day 8, August 23

Goodbye Vernazza, hello Florence - Part 2

We walked around a bit and took in the views, but all too soon we had to turn around and walk back to our apartment.

We needed to leave before 11am and so at around 10.30 we started to take down the last of our stuff to the car. Once everything was stowed we walked up one last time checked everywhere for forgotten items and then Tom drove the car out of the garage, which was not too easy as the winding driveway down was very narrow and I needed to watch out so we would not scrape the car at the sides. Once he was out of the garage, while he turned the car around I took the elevator up to our apartment, put the key inside the room as we had been told, closed the door and then I used the elevator until the second floor, got off, as in the meantime the gate to the garage had closed and walked down the steps to the street level. The bus that connects Vernazza with some of the other small towns had just left when I got down and walked over to our car.
With a heavy heart we bid Vernazza goodbye and went on our way. I was at the edge of my seat, keeping my fingers crossed that no one would drive in our direction as the street was a one way street for quite some time.

We were lucky and made good progress, even though we were driving pretty slow as the street was so narrow.

After about half an hour the worst part was behind us and the street was narrow, but at least a two way lane. We were still driving slow as the view was so beautiful and you never knew what beauty would lie beneath the next corner.

And finally we made it to the motorway again and then we made good progress.

To be continued ..........​

 

[linetbo]

Karin, I want to do a trip like that one. Do you know any company that provide that service? I don't want to go to Rome, Florence.

 

[momof3princes]

Beautiful! The houses on the cliffs are breathtaking! I am intrigued by the caper berries, I have never seen anything like that before and I love capers...wonder if we have those here?? The stuffed flatbread looked amazing too!

 

[jedijill]

I remember the mudslides. I'm so glad the Cinque Terre has recovered!

Gorgeous scenery. Can't wait until you get to Florence!

Jill in CO

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Oh my goodness! That drive looks like a nail biter, but the scenery must have been worth it!

I am loving all your pucs, and the easy touring style of this trip. I have seen these type of places in movies, but it is so surreal to see you are actually tgere. .looking forward to your next destination. Your Spring trip is getting close, too!

 

[franandaj]

Such a beautiful view! I'm glad they recovered from the mudslides. I can't wait to see Florence!

 

[GoofyFan1515]

It was time to say goodbye to Vernazza.
So in the morning we both walked to the bakery

chocolate puff pastry. Once we were back we had a leisurely breakfast,

I guess if you have to leave...........this is a great way to say goodbye!

Okay I agree with your earlier comment.........I might not really want one of these after all.

walked down to the railway station and stopped at the huge poster that was hung there and showed Vernazza after a giant mud slide some years ago.

Such a beautiful area.............so sad to see all that damage!

Great picture!

I was at the edge of my seat, keeping my fingers crossed that no one would drive in our direction as the street was a one way street for quite some time.

Yikes!!!

Talk about sticking your village in a tight location! Hoping that is all of the original and doesn't look like that because part of it already fell into the water...............

So many gorgeous pictures...........this is one of my favorites!

 

[dizneeat]

Karin, I want to do a trip like that one. Do you know any company that provide that service? I don't want to go to Rome, Florence.

Thanks for sticking with me!
Actually I do all my trip planning by myself. It is pretty easy. Please PM me if I can help you planning a trip like this.

Beautiful! The houses on the cliffs are breathtaking! I am intrigued by the caper berries, I have never seen anything like that before and I love capers...wonder if we have those here?? The stuffed flatbread looked amazing too!

The Cinque Terre is such a beautiful place. It is amazing how they put all those houses on those cliffs and make a living there.

I am pretty sure you can get caper berries like this in the US. They were SO good. I have seen them in many supermarkets around here.

I remember the mudslides. I'm so glad the Cinque Terre has recovered!

Gorgeous scenery. Can't wait until you get to Florence!

Jill in CO

That mudslide was so devastating. We saw that on the news. It was good to see that they recovered from it.

Florence coming up shortly.

Oh my goodness! That drive looks like a nail biter, but the scenery must have been worth it!

I am loving all your pucs, and the easy touring style of this trip. I have seen these type of places in movies, but it is so surreal to see you are actually tgere. .looking forward to your next destination. Your Spring trip is getting close, too!

The drive was nerve wrecking from time to time. No guard rail and a deep ravine are not my kind of fun to travel and pair that with one way lanes - NO fun.

It is such a beautiful piece of Italy. And even with all the tourism it is still a very typical part of Italy. It was a very relaxing trip, much more relaxing than the trip we have planned in a month's time. Can you tell it is going to be a Disney trip.

 

[dizneeat]

Such a beautiful view! I'm glad they recovered from the mudslides. I can't wait to see Florence!

It is such a beautiful area to visit. And we were so lucky the weather was as beautiful as it was, with lots of sunshine.
We are soon to arrive in Florence in the TR.

Okay I agree with your earlier comment.........I might not really want one of these after all.

I thought so, when I posted these pics. They might look fun from a ways away, but if you see them from close up - thanks, but NO thanks.

Talk about sticking your village in a tight location!

They had to make do with the little space they had and they did a really good job. Those houses cling to the rock like glued on to them.

 

[dizneeat]

7

Day 8, August 23

Goodbye Vernazza, hello Florence - Part 3

And finally we made it to the motorway again and then we made good progress.
At around 12.30pm we had made it to La Spezia

and we decided to find somewhere to do some shopping so we programmed the GPS and it took us to a shopping center.

We did some extensive grocery shopping since we did not know if there would be a grocery store in walking distance in Florence and after a restroom break we picked up some pizza and walked to the parking garage to eat the pizza in the car. It was pretty greasy so half of it was binned.

Lunch done we headed back to the motorway and soon made good progress again.

The traffic got heavier the closer we got to Florence, where we had booked a small apartment.

When I first started planning the vacation I had booked us into a loft overlooking the Duomo, only to find out some time later that you cannot drive into the city centre. And even though they had offered parking with the loft, the company we would rent from, would have to call the police and let them know our car registration, so we would not be fined. I started reading up on tripadvisor and many people complained that renters called in too late or never at all and they got fined anyway. So heavyheartedly I decided to cancel the reservation and look for something outside the “ring”. So I came up with an apartment that got good reviews on tripadvisor and was pretty reasonable as well.
We followed the GPS and even though we listened to it, we got lost because we were in the wrong lane for the “roundabout” that we just “did not see”. We later found out that the traffic goes round a park in sort of a roundabout, but from the street level it was hard to grasp.
Finally we made it to our destination the La Farina Apartments. There was no parking in the street where it was, so we turned right in the next possible street and walked back to check in. The receptionist asked if we had a car and when we told him that we did he gave us a key for the garage to park the car before checking in. So off we went again to get the car. Car parked we headed upstairs to finally check in. This was one of the easiest check ins we have ever done. Everything was prepared, they had even prepared some maps and marked stores, bus stops and other interesting points for us. So about 5 minutes later we had paid for our apartment, had the key for it in hand and off we went to have a look at it. We had a little trouble getting the key to work, but when we finally did we were stunned. The apartment looked brand new, it was light and super modern.
We loved the open kitchen and dining area, complete with all the appliances you could wish for. The bathroom was sparkling clean and the bedroom with two separate beds had lots of storage space and large windows.

We were super pleased with it, especially since the price of the apartment was very reasonable. It took a few trips to the car to get all our stuff up to the apartment and we unpacked just the few bags that we would need for our stay. And after that we headed over to the small grocery store that our receptionist had told us about. Shopping done we set out to have an early dinner. We had lots of cold stuff and we had a feast.

We were both a bit tired from the long drive and talked about staying in, but it was only early evening and the day was too beautiful not to go out again.

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

7

Day 8, August 23

Goodbye Vernazza, hello Florence - Part 4

We were both a bit tired from the long drive and talked about staying in, but it was only early evening and the day was too beautiful not to go out again.
So we walked to the city center

which was about a 20 minute walk to check out the Duomo.

It was easy to find and we walked all around, enjoying all the lovely architecture.

There were loads of tourists around and after we had walked around the Duomo we decided on a break. There was a small café and we got some

ice-cream and water and later visited the restroom. Since it was still such a beautiful evening, we walked around a bit more, and walked past some beautiful squares and churches.

When it started to get dark we looked at our map and headed back to our apartment.

It was about a 40 minute walk from where we had gotten to and it had gotten really dark when we got in. Back in our apartment we made ourselves comfortable on the couch, grabbed something to drink and some snacks

and talked about this day’s events while we watched a little TV. And since it was so nice we stayed up longer than we had thought and only went to bed shortly before midnight.

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

7

Day 9, August 24

A whole day of sightseeing - Part 1

Even though we had gone to bed late we were up early again. By 8am I was walking to the bakery we had passed on the way back to our apartment the day before to get some breakfast rolls. The skies had been light grey when I walked the 3 minutes to the bakery but when I was on the way back it started to rain. So I hotfooted it back to our place and soon we were sitting at the breakfast table enjoying a lot of the same things we had had for dinner the day before.

After breakfast we cleaned up and were ready to leave, but when we looked out the window we saw that it was raining, not just drizzle, but it was raining buckets. We had planned on taking sightseeing tours on hop on hop off buses, which I had already bought tickets for, but neither of us was in the mood to brave the rain, so we stayed in and rested in front of the TV.
At around 11am the rain let off and we walked up the street

to the bus stop of the hop on hop off bus. It was halfway around the loop and we decided to just stay on for one and a half loops. We could not believe our luck when we got on the bus and found several empty rows on the top deck. We settled in and enjoyed the ride all through the outer perimeter of the city, which follows the “ring” and even crosses into it in some places.

The sightseeing loop covers most of the sights of Florence and when we had gotten closest to the center a lot of people got off and we changed seats to the first row.

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

7

Day 9, August 24

A whole day of sightseeing - Part 2

The sightseeing loop covers most of the sights of Florence and when we had gotten closest to the center a lot of people got off and we changed seats to the first row. Now our view was even better.

It took us past some of the most famous sights like some of the museums, the Ponte Veccio and the Palazzo Veccio and the Piazzale Michelangelo, where we had an awesome view over the whole city. A loop takes about an hour, so about 12.30 we got off the bus at the main train station and walked into the center. We had a walking tour booked which was about to start in an hour, so we were in search for somewhere to just have a drink and use a restroom.

To be continued ..........​

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Well, you made it I see! Nice apartment. Too bad about the rain, but you still managed to get out and see the sights! Very Nice shots of the city!

 

[jedijill]

The apartment is gorgeous! I love Florence! Glad it stopped raining so you could get out and see the sights!

Jill in CO

 

[GoofyFan1515]

This was one of the easiest check ins we have ever done. Everything was prepared, they had even prepared some maps and marked stores, bus stops and other interesting points for us. So about 5 minutes later we had paid for our apartment, had the key for it in hand and off we went to have a look at it. We had a little trouble getting the key to work, but when we finally did we were stunned. The apartment looked brand new, it was light and super modern.
We loved the open kitchen and dining area, complete with all the appliances you could wish for. The bathroom was sparkling clean and the bedroom with two separate beds had lots of storage space and large windows.

Wow, that is quite the hospitality! A very pleasant welcome, and the apartment looks like a great place to stay!

There was a small café and we got some

ice-cream and water and later visited the restroom.

That must have been a LOT of water.............

As usual, the ice cream looks yummy!

Okay, I have stared at this for a while now and I'm in desperate need of an explanation???

You got your usual photo collection of gorgeous scenery! Florence looks like such an interesting place, and a beautiful city!

 

[alli817]

HEY!

We will be getting off The Wonder as you are getting on!

 

[dizneeat]

Well, you made it I see! Nice apartment. Too bad about the rain, but you still managed to get out and see the sights! Very Nice shots of the city!

It had taken us a while to get to Florence, but we did get there in the end. We LOVED the apartment - it was wonderful. Looking back, the rain was a godsend, as it gave us time to catch our breath for a while before exporing the city. And we did see a lot.

The apartment is gorgeous! I love Florence! Glad it stopped raining so you could get out and see the sights!

Jill in CO

We were in awe with the apartment. It was far better than what the photographs we had seen online, promised. And the price was just so reasonable. We had never been to Florence before, and to be honest, in the beginning it was not even on my list. But when I planned the details I realized that we needed a night somewhere and why not Florence? I was pretty happy that I had booked those two nights in the end.

Okay, I have stared at this for a while now and I'm in desperate need of an explanation???

It is a "newer" sculpture near the Porta Romana. I can't recall what it was all about but it looked so odd, we had to take a photo.

You got your usual photo collection of gorgeous scenery! Florence looks like such an interesting place, and a beautiful city!

It is a beautiful city. You really need to put it on your list of cities to visit when you finally plan that trip to Europe!

HEY!

We will be getting off The Wonder as you are getting on!

Wow! What a coincidence. Take good care of the Wonder when you bring her to San Diego.

 

[dizneeat]

7

Day 9, August 24

A whole day of sightseeing - Part 3

We had a walking tour booked which was about to start in an hour, so we were in search for somewhere to just have a drink and use a restroom.
We walked around a bit and past some possible stops, but somehow it was not what we were looking for.
After a while we came across a poster that advertised the Hard Rock Café. Our meeting place for the walking tour was the Hard Rock Café, so we headed that way. Took a bit of searching around, but finally we found it and asked if they had open seats.
Sure they did and since we only wanted a drink we chose seats at the bar.

We had just settled in when a server handed us a menu and we started picking out our treats. Tom picked a sampler,

the Air Mexico, three signature mini Margheritas, made with Silver Tequila and Cointreau Orange Liqueur and served with a personal sized serving of

corn chips and salsa. You were allowed to choose three flavours and Tom chose

watermelon, Mango and cucumber. I wanted to try the

Pineapple Coconut Mojito, Bacardi Superior Rum, Pina Colada Mix, pineapple, mint and lime topped with club soda and toasted coconut. We watched them mix our drinks and soon we were enjoying our lovely treats. It was nice to sit there and listen to the music and the drinks were really good. It got close to the time when we needed to be at the meeting point for our walking tour, so we made a quick restroom stop,

paid the bar tender and walked outside. And it was then that we noticed someone with a Disney store bag. I had completely forgotten to check if there was one in Florence. There were some people waiting a few steps over and someone was ticking off names from a list, so we walked over and asked if this was where we had to check in for our tour.
Yip, we were right there.
She ticked our names off her list and told us to step aside and wait there. Within a minute or two a young man came over and told us we were his group. We were a bit stunned as we were on the young lady's list, but the young man just insisted. He went on to tell us that the young lady was doing the German tour, but he was the one doing the English one.
And now it dawned on me.
Whenever there are tours, I usually sign up for an English one, as the chance of one forming is usually higher. I had signed up for an English tour and here we were. And our guide told us right away, that it was only the two of us and we were good to go. So we walked over to a piazza and were looking at a model of the city.

And while he was explaining the model the guide asked where we were from and was surprised when we told him that we were from Austria. There was a short conversation about why we had signed up for an English tour and he let his colleague know that his group had just turned into a German one as well, but he was happy to have the private group. He was very good at explaining everything, very knowledgeable when it came to history and he was a pleasure to listen too.
We walked over to the Duomo,

then headed into the very old historic part of the city

where we were treated to the Medici chapel

and he explained how the houses around a yard were like their own little community.

He pointed out a few other places of interest,

walked us through the free, outside parts of some museums

and finally took us to the Ponte Veccio.

We had been following him around for the better part of two hours and neither of us could believe that time had flown by that fast. So after handing our guide

a nice tip we had one last question and it was if he could point us towards the Disney Store, which we definitely wanted to visit after checking out the Ponte Veccio area a little more. And after saying our goodbyes we walked back and forth over the Ponte Veccio, enjoyed some of the views and did some window shopping.

To be continued ..........​